Revised Food Law Clears Michigan Legislature

The Michigan Legislature recently passed several updates to Michigan's requirements for the safe handling of food, including the adoption of newer U.S. Food Code regulations.

June 1, 2012

The Michigan Legislature recently passed several updates to Michigan’s requirements for the safe handling of food, including the adoption of newer U.S. Food Code regulations. The bill is expected to be signed by Governor Snyder soon. Once signed into law, the bill will change the gross income limits of the Cottage Food law. The per-household ceiling for annual gross sales of cottage food products by a cottage food operation will increase from $15,000 to $20,000 through December 31, 2017. After that date, the gross sales of cottage food products by a cottage food operation cannot exceed $25,000 annually.

The new Food Law revisions will exempt, under certain conditions, a food warehouse or food processor containing only uncut fruits or vegetables. It will also exempt from a second license the sales location of prepackaged food transported to and sold at a farmers' market, fair, or festival by a licensed food establishment.

The bill also repeals Public Act 244 of 1963, which regulates the processing, marking, branding, advertising and sale of eggs, and instead would adopt by reference the U.S. standards for shell eggs, and clarifies under what conditions egg producers are exempt from the Food Law.